Motherly Instinct
by ReikaFoxGirl
Summary: Emily Prentiss's always been an passionate agent, a trusted friend, a beloved daughter and a protective sister but now she's the loving mother to five children damaged by the ones supposed to protect them; assisted by her younger sister and supported by her co-workers she must balance her new role with her old while dealing with the growing attraction towards her superior.
1. Cassandra Reeves

**Disclaimer: **_I claim no ownership of Criminal Minds, it belongs purely to CBS; I do however own Emily's siblings and father (as well as any other family members I choose to bring in later) and the foster kids she takes in and eventually adopts_.

**Author's Note: **_Ok, so I've recently become addicted to this show, the storylines, the characters and just the whole of it; I really wanted to write a fic for it and I decided on Emily's motherly nature playing a part in it, I gave her a younger sister to give her that sisterly support in raising children and wanted to explore her and Hotch as a couple, because I truly love this couple with all of my heart (not that I have anything against Beth, I just love Emily more) and wanted to add their relationship as one of the vocal points._

**Rating: **_T for minor language, some suggestive comments and, of course, tiny bit of violence that comes with this being a crime show_.

**Pairings: **_Hotchniss, JJ/Rossi, Morgan/Garcia, possibly Reid/OC_

**Spoilers: **_Takes place in Season 4, before Foyet's attack on Hotch and after Cyrus._

Cassandra Reeves

* * *

Emily let out a loud sigh as she looked over her shoulder at Cassandra Reeves, the three year old foster daughter of their Unsubs Karen and Michael Bann; the couple had been kidnapping children between the ages of 5 and 10, holding them hostage for days as they beat and raped them repeatedly before they slit their throats, mutilated them and dumped in a creek a few miles away, there were nine children taken in the past two weeks and only two were rescued.

_I don't think I can let her go back into the system, not when she could end up with someone like or worse than the Banns…_

Emily shook her head as she made her way over to Cassandra; she was a truly beautiful girl with dark curls framing her face and big brown eyes that were wide in fear, she wore pink footie pajamas with red hearts that were slightly torn and faded.

"Hey there Angel…"

Emily said in a soft tone as she crouched down next to the girl; Cassandra looked at her and lifted her arms up, causing Emily to chuckle as she picked the girl up, the girl buried her face into Emily's neck as she let out a whimper.

"I don't want to go, I want to stay with you Mommy…"

Emily felt tears prick her eyes at Cassandra's words; she was the one to rescue Cassandra, who had promptly called her Mommy and clung to her until the paramedics came and checked her out, it had taken two paramedics to pull Cassandra away from Emily and even then she had wanted Emily to stay close to her.

"I know sweetheart, I know…"

She soothed as she rubbed her back, rocking her gently; she saw a sleek white car pull up out of the corner of her eye, a middle-aged woman with light brown hair and dull gray eyes stepped out, the heels of her pumps clicking as she made her way over; Emily was terrified now, because she knew this was Cassandra's social worker and she was going to be separated from this little girl she had fallen for in less than an hour.

* * *

Lucy Devon had been a social worker for twenty-two years, she'd seen horrible things done to the children in her care but no matter how hard she tried they'd always end up in another home that abused them and neglected them, the case of Cassandra Reeves was a tragic one, she had entered the system when she was one after her alcoholic and abusive father shot her mother execution style on her birthday, and was promptly placed in over fifty homes over the period of two years; it was one of the worst cases Lucy had dealt with and she feared the girl would never get a happy ending.

_Perhaps I was wrong…_

Lucy thought as she analysed the woman Cassandra was clutching as if her life depended on it, the woman held some similarities with Cassandra's deceased mother Marissa in terms of appearance but she had a feeling this woman wasn't as delicate or docile as Marissa Reeves had been, she certainly didn't think this woman would've allowed her husband to harm her or their child and quite possibly could've taken care of Cassandra's father easily.

"Excuse me, are you Cassandra's social worker?"

Lucy was brought out of her thoughts as Emily approached her; she noticed the woman's hesitation and realised she was having trouble with the idea of parting with Cassandra.

"Yes, I'm Lucy Devon and you are…?" Emily held out her other hand, keeping a firm grip on Cassandra with the other.

"Agent Emily Prentiss, I'm with the BAU." Lucy frowned deeply, concern wrinkling her forehead as she shook her hand.

"May I ask why the FBI is here?" Emily bit her lip, knowing she would have to explain what happened but not liking the memory.

"Cassandra's foster parents have been arrested for the abduction, rape and murder of six children; they are also facing charges for the abduction and rape of two more." Emily watched as Lucy Devon's eyes widened in horror, her face paling.

"My God I…I suspected they were up to no good but I just thought it had to do with Cassandra, I never…oh…" Lucy shook her head, swallowing and fighting the bile she felt rising up in her throat.

"I guess you'll want Cassandra back so you can take her to her next home." Emily stated in a bitter tone; Cassandra's eyes widened as she shook her head rapidly.

"No, I don't want to go! I want to stay with Mommy!" Lucy's heart broke at the girl's painful cry; Emily tried to soothe the child but felt like crying too, a thought suddenly entered Lucy's mind.

"Have you considered becoming a foster parent Agent Prentiss?" Emily flushed, her eyes wide.

"Actually, I, um, registered as one two weeks ago." She admitted as Lucy smiled softly.

"Would you be willing to take in Cassandra?" Emily blinked, feeling tears fill her eyes as she nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Good, I have some paperwork in my car you'll need to fill out…" Emily tuned the rest of the conversation out as she looked at the sleepy girl in her arms, a smile crossing her face at the realization that Cassandra was going home with her.

* * *

"Emily!"

Hotch raised an eyebrow when he saw a brunette waving to Emily as the group walked over to her; Emily smiled widely, her eyes conveying her confusion.

"Eve, I didn't know you were meeting me here." Emily exclaimed as she adjusted Cassandra; Evelyn grinned as she carefully hugged her sister, mindful of the sleeping girl.

"What kind of aunt would I be if I didn't greet my big sister and my new niece?" She asked as she pulled back to glance at the sleeping child in her sister's arms; Emily turned to face her co-workers who had looks of confusion on their faces.

"Guys, this is my sister Evelyn Prentiss; Eve, these are my co-workers." Emily stated as she began to introduce everyone.

"This is our media liaison Jennifer Jareau." JJ smiled as she held out her hand for Evelyn to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, please call me JJ." Evelyn grinned.

"Can do, you can call me Eve." JJ returned the grin.

"This is—"Evelyn cut her off her sister with a smirk.

"David Rossi, I met him at a conference three years ago." Rossi laughed as he shook her hand.

"It's good to see you again, I thought Emily looked familiar." Emily rolled her eyes.

"This is Derek Morgan, our resident charmer." Morgan smirked as he brought Evelyn's hand to his lips, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"It is a pleasure to meet such an exquisite woman."

"I have contacts who could easily get rid of you as well as a black belt." Emily shook her head as Morgan quickly released her sister's hand.

"This is Dr. Spencer Reid." Reid shook her hand.

"And finally, this—"Hotch interrupted her.

"I do believe we already met, about eighteen years ago I believe?" Emily blinked, realization dawned on her as Evelyn laughed.

"I was eighteen and absolutely convinced you were a stuck-up prick." Emily glared.

"Yet you still tried to set me up with him." Evelyn snorted quietly as Hotch's face flushed.

"Honey, no offense but you were dating creeps back then; at least he was _somewhat _normal." Emily let out a loud sigh as Rossi coughed.

"So what exactly brings you to Quantico Evelyn?" Evelyn sighed exasperatedly as she rolled her eyes.

"I divorced my lying scum-bag husband with a wandering eye and as a result lost any rights to his money; thankfully I have a wonderful sister who was willing to let me stay with her if I promised to help her with being a foster parent."

Emily frowned as she took notice of the bags on the floor beside her sister; her eyes widened in horror as she whipped her head to look at Evelyn who was whistling.

"_Evelyn…_" Emily said in a warning tone; Evelyn looked at her sister with an innocent look.

"_Emily…" _Evelyn mocked as Emily let out a groan.

"Please tell me you didn't go out and buy a whole lot of stuff by yourself."

"Of course not sister dearest." Emily let out a sigh of relief, not noticing Evelyn's grin.

"Your darling friend Penelope assisted me; we got Cassandra's room ready and bought her clothes, books and toys, we also picked up groceries, including Ben and Jerry's ice cream." Emily blinked in shock as she looked down at her sleeping foster daughter before looking back at her sister.

"You guys didn't have to do that."

"We're family Em, we help each other out."

Hotch smiled a bit at the warm exchange as Emily waved goodbye to her co-workers, she and her sister walked towards her car and Hotch stopped them quickly, whispering into Emily's ear that she had two weeks off to get settled, and smirking a bit when she flushed and thanked him before hurrying off.

"My my, what _did_ you say to the Ambassador's daughter that caused her to blush you sly dog?"

Hotch whipped around and shot Rossi a dark glare, barking that everyone was to head home immediately (causing Reid to jump out of fright) and stormed off as Rossi's laughter echoed behind him.

* * *

"Agent Hotchner looks attractive, I guess looks do get better with age don't you think?"

Emily glared at Evelyn as they entered her apartment; Evelyn placed the bags on the table by the front door to remove her boots before picking them up again and making her way into the kitchen.

"He's my boss _Evelyn_!"

"You're not denying you find him attractive." Evelyn sang in glee.

Emily sighed, adjusting Cassandra before making her way up the stairs, she opened the door to Cassandra's bedroom and let out a soft gasp as she took in the room, the walls were painted a baby pink with a brown tree, birds and butterflies and baby pink carpeting decorated the floor, the furniture was walnut and the bedding was the same as the walls; the first three shelves on the bookshelf were filled with children's books while the bottom shelf contained a brown stuffed bear and dog.

"Oh my …"

She whispered as she made her way over to the bed and tucked Cassandra in; her gaze landed on a pink stuffed bunny and after contemplating for a moment placed it beside the sleeping girl who quickly snuggled the animal.

"Goodnight sweetheart…" Emily cooed as she kissed Cassandra's forehead, quietly shutting the door behind her as she exited the room; she made her way downstairs and hugged Evelyn.

"You and Pen didn't have to make the room so…" Evelyn smiled as her sister trailed off.

"Beautiful? That girl's probably never had any nice things, so we wanted to make her room special." Emily returned the smile.

"So when will I get to start corrupting her?" Emily glared at her smirking sister.

"Not for a week, thank god; Hotch was kind enough to give me time off to help get Cassandra settled and adjusted." Evelyn cocked an eyebrow as she leaned on the island.

"So your boss, who's only about five years older than you and a handsome male, willingly gave you time off? Hm…" Emily flushed before shooting her sister a look.

"It's not like that Eve, there is a strict no-fraternization policy for the Bureau and even if there wasn't, we're not attracted to each other; we are co-workers and, at most, friends." Emily stated in a firm tone.

"Alright then, I suppose we should head to bed since we'll most likely have a busy day tomorrow." Evelyn said as she made her way to the stairs; Emily looked over her shoulder and called out.

"How did you pay for everything Eve? I thought you were broke and I know Penelope doesn't make that much."

"Oh, uh, we used your credit card."

"_What?"_

"Sis, next time don't use the last name of your favorite movie star as your passcode!"

* * *

_Alright, the first chapter of my first Criminal Minds fanfiction is finished! For those unaware, I recall hearing that Emily's favorite actor was Cary Grant so she essentially used his last name as her passcode (which Evelyn knew due to her being Emily's sister); a few things of note regarding the story and such;_

_Cassandra Reeves: Cassandra means "prophetess", a female who is able to foresee the future and is insightful; of course Cassandra cannot actually tell the future but as the story goes you will notice she is very observant for a young child and, to say the least, tends to foretell certain things; I've read a lot of fanfiction involving certain characters adopting and/or fostering a young girl, therefore I drew a lot of inspiration from these characters as well as based her upon Annabelle, the youngest foster daughter of Temperance Brennan from my previous Bones fanfiction; she is the youngest of the five children (yes, I do realise it's a lot but it was really the only idea that worked in my head) that Emily will be fostering and (eventually) adopting, she is also (ironically, given how we're introduced to her) the one with the most innocence and the quietest, though at the same time is a bit more childlike. _

_Evelyn Prentiss: Ah, Emily's younger sister, for those who want a picture I imagine her portrayed by Alyssa Milano (I'm a big Charmed fan and may have a tiny little guilty pleasure in the form of Mistresses) who I view as one of my favorite actresses; she's essentially the opposite of Emily, who's very collected and private, as she is impulsive, tending to lose her temper easily, and will have a running gag of blurting out facts about either her and/or Emily's personal (read: sex) life which will both annoy and fluster Emily; she is the optimist to Emily's pessimist, is willing to try anything once and tends to be very nosy when it comes to her sister's relationships, especially her love life._

_Elizabeth and Xavier married when Elizabeth was twenty-eight and he was thirty-one, they feared they were infertile until Emily was born when Elizabeth was thirty-four and Evelyn a year later; their marriage, however, began to fall apart due to the two's jobs and they separated multiple times with the girls often living with nannies, the final straw came due to an incident when the girls were ten and nine respectfully and the two divorced; Evelyn and Emily rebelled, with Emily going into the FBI (among other things) and Evelyn not going to college and marrying her ex-husband in Vegas where they resided, Evelyn was damaged by her marriage leaving her with a desire to not form romantic relationships; also Evelyn, being the romantic she is, believed (and still does) that her parents still love each other and attempts to get them back together (Emily states Evelyn was the primary reason behind their father having five failed marriages after their mother)._

_Emily and Aaron: Their relationship is essentially a complex one with conflicting emotions and confusing actions; they start out as subordinate and superior, with Hotch being a bit closer to her due to their newly shared parenthood, and gradually become friends as Jack comes to adore spending time with Emily and her family with Hotch becoming very protective of the Prentiss clan as a whole; Hotch displays attraction to Emily from the beginning and her to him, which they dismiss as typical behavior given the fact they are both attractive people but as they become closer he becomes rather drawn to her and is jealous of men who take an interest in Emily, becoming agitated whenever she dates and becoming noticeably hostile to male officers and civilians, especially suspects and Unsubs, who flirt with her in front of him; Emily also displays these jealous tendencies towards women who act the same way towards Hotch and the two have various arguments on the subject. _

_The two both realize they have feelings for each other at different times and become very flustered when in the proximity of another, the two hide their affection due to various reasons, the number one reason being the Bureau and the fact he is her superior, the other reason being the fact that Hotch is afraid, after he is attacked by Foyet, that allowing himself to become romantically involved with Emily will put her, and her family, in grave danger and the final reason being the fact both fear of being rejected and ruining their friendship with the other, the two begin dancing around each other and denying any feelings for each other which annoys those close to them (especially romantic Evelyn and Emily's eldest foster daughter)._

_Ok, that was a bit longer of an Author's note then I expected but oh well! Please drop me a line in the reviews and tell me what you think ;)_


	2. Night Terrors and Family Dinners

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Criminal Minds, it belongs purely to CBS; I do own my OCs however._

**Author's Note: **_This is the second chapter of Motherly Instinct, it picks up a few hours after the end of the previous chapter and follows Emily and Evelyn helping Cassandra getting adjusted with appearances from the BAU team; just a bit of warning here, I will try to write Cassandra and Jack's speech as best as I can but if any of you can offer me help as to how to write a three year old and two year old's speech I would appreciate it, also Henry was born on October 28__th__ in 2008 so this story starts about seven months after that._

Night Terrors and Family Dinners

* * *

"_Mommy…!"_

The panicked cry of her daughter caused Emily to shoot out of bed, her eyes wide in terror as ran across the hallway to her daughter's room; she opened the door to see a frazzled Evelyn crouched beside the flailing Cassandra, Evelyn looked up in dismay as Emily quickly made her way to Cassandra's side and pulled her into a hug, kissing her on the forehead as she stroked her hair softly and spoke in soft whispers.

"Shh…it's ok sweetie, you're fine; I have you now, the bad people can't hurt you…" Cassandra sniffled, her big teary eyes looking up at her mommy.

"I was back in the bawd place, with those mean people who trided to hurt me…" Emily placed her chin on her daughter's head, taking a deep breath,

"You won't go back there, I won't let you I promise."

"Mommy, will you sing to me…?"

Emily blinked, looking over her shoulder at her shaken sister; she could remember a few times when their mother, surprisingly enough, would sing to them; she had a lovely voice and would calm them down.

"Ok…"

Emily said in a soft tone, the words of her and Evelyn's favorite lullaby dancing in her mind while she tucked Cassandra back in and placed her stuffed bunny in her arms.

_Lullaby, and good night, in the skies stars are bright _

_May the moon, silvery beams, bring you with dreams_

Evelyn blinked back tears as she recalled a memory of Emily, seven years old at the time, singing her that very song while they listened to their parents yelling; whenever their parents began to fight Emily would always do her best to make sure her sister was distracted and singing was the best way to do that.

_Close your eyes, now and rest, may these hours be blessed _

_Till the sky's bright with dawn, when you wake with a yawn_

Emily's mouth turned up in a soft smile as she watched Cassandra's eyelids flutter, her grip on the bunny tightening.

_Lullaby, and good night, you are mother's delight _

_I'll protect you from harm, and you'll wake in my arms_

Cassandra let out a soft sigh as her eyes closed, lulling her into a deep sleep; Emily stood up and placed a gentle kiss in her daughter's hair, lingering for a moment before she and Evelyn exited the room and shut the door softly.

"Something tells me that's not going to be the last we hear of her nightmares…" Evelyn murmured as she let out a loud sigh; she glanced at her sister, who had shadows under her eyes, and frowned.

"Em, are you having nightmares?"

"Eve…" Evelyn shook her head rapidly.

"Don't you _dare _say you're fine Emily Colette Prentiss, I mean it."

"You must be pissed if you're saying my full name."

Evelyn gave her sister a look; Emily had always been a private person, hiding her emotions and thoughts in order to not burden anyone.

"Em, I know you like to keep things to yourself and act as if you can handle anything but you're only human; I'm your sister, I was there for you through Rome so please, at least tell me the truth."

Emily's expression softened as she looked at her sister; despite the fact they weren't twins, the two were still able to read each other (even before Emily started to study to become a profiler) and could easily tell if the other was hiding something.

"I have been having nightmares, about Cyrus and the compound; I keep reliving the beating over and over and I just…" She trailed off as Evelyn pulled her into a hug.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Emily thwacked her sister on the arm.

"Ow!"

Evelyn yelped as she rubbed her arm, giving her sister a mock-glare; a loud meow caught the attention of the two Prentiss women and they looked down to see Sergio rubbing against Emily's leg.

"Hey there my precious little man, where have you been?"

Emily asked as she bent down and picked up Sergio, who let out a low purr as Emily scratched his ears; Evelyn let out a loud yawn.

"Well, I'm beat so…" Evelyn trailed off as she headed down the hall; Emily sighed as she and Sergio headed back to her bedroom, wondering exactly what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

Cassandra slowly opened her eyes, she let out a sleepy yawn as she rubbed her eyes; she sat up stiffly when she realized she wasn't in her attic bedroom, her eyes lit up when she remembered she was with her new mother but frowned when she didn't see her.

_Did Mommy leave me…?_

The girl wondered as she hugged Rosie, her stuffed bunny, and wandered out of her room; sweet smells drifted into her nose as she slowly tiptoed down the stairs, her eyes widened when she saw her mother in the kitchen and quickly ran over to her, hugging her legs.

"Well Miss Cassie, I see you're up."

Emily commented with a smile as she bent down to pick up Cassandra, placing her on the island before turning back to where she was washing the dishes.

"What you making mommy?" Cassandra asked with a childlike curiosity; Emily looked over her shoulder at Cassandra.

"Well I figured, since you're probably hungry, I would make you my famous cheesy ham and hash brown casserole; does that sound yummy to you?" Cassandra nodded rapidly, causing Emily to laugh as Evelyn walked in.

"I thought I smelled your famous breakfast Em…" She trailed off as she glanced at Cassandra, who was watching her with a wary expression and held Rosie tighter.

"Baby, this is my sister Evelyn; she's your aunt and will be watching you when I have to go to work."

Emily spoke in a soft tone to soothe the girl's worries, afraid her sister may have a hard time getting Cassandra to trust her; her worries, however, were unfounded as Cassandra's eyes lit up.

"My auntie? That means you buy me presents right?" Evelyn grinned, her eyes dancing with amusement.

"Uh huh, I actually bought you the stuffed bunny you're holding." Cassandra huffed.

"Her name's Rosie Auntie Eve, it's not nice to not call someone by their name."

Evelyn couldn't help but laugh, thinking this little girl resembled her and Emily when they were her age; Emily gave a relieved smile as she removed the casserole from the oven, thankful her sister and foster daughter were getting along.

"Alright sweetheart, let's eat before Auntie Eve starts to corrupt your mind." Cassandra giggled as Evelyn gaped at her sister.

"Hey!"

* * *

Hotch let out a loud sigh as he glared at his files; he was finishing the paperwork for the last case but his mind kept wandering to Cassandra and Emily, he couldn't stop worrying about the brunette agent and her new daughter.

"What did those papers ever do to you Aaron?" Hotch fixed his glare on Rossi, who grinned from where he was leaning in the doorway.

"Shut up Dave."

"Ouch, that really hurt; your mind wouldn't, by any chance, be occupied by the eldest daughter of an ambassador?" Hotch let out a loud sigh as he shot his best friend an irritated look.

"You know, you're not supposed to profile me." Rossi raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"When have I ever listened to you?"

Hotch rolled his eyes as Garcia rushed in; she was bouncing on her toes with a big grin, causing Hotch and Rossi to give her amused looks.

"What has you so giddy Baby Girl?"

Morgan asked as he and Reid appeared with JJ; Garcia beamed at him.

"Well you see, my chocolate god, dear Emily has invited us for dinner tonight since we don't have a case; she figured it would be a good chance to help Cassandra get used to being around adults again, and before you try to protest Boss Man she knows you have Jack and would like you to bring him since he's around Cassandra's age and it would give her the chance to get used to children, same goes for Henry."

Garcia explained in a bubbly tone, her eyes dancing; the team looked at each other and nodded in agreement, causing Garcia to let out a loud squeal as she ran off to call Emily back, leaving the others shaking their heads at her antics.

* * *

"Mommy, that smelly…!"

Emily laughed as her daughter wrinkled her nose cutely; Cassandra was assisting Emily in the kitchen, the two having decided to make spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread on the side while Evelyn set the table (since the last time she had helped in the kitchen she nearly poisoned everyone).

"It's basil honey, it makes the sauce taste real yummy."

Emily explained as she stirred the bubbling sauce; Cassandra cocked her head to the side like a puppy, causing Emily to give her an Eskimo kiss and making her giggle.

"Sweetie, could you hand me the oregano? It's on the far right, next to the pepper."

Cassandra nodded as she reached her arm out from where she was sitting on the counter farthest away from the stove; she pointed at a small, square jar filled with dark green flakes.

"This it Mommy?" Emily nodded.

"Yes, thank you baby." She said as she took the jar from her daughter and added it; the doorbell rang and she looked over her shoulder.

"Eve, can you get the door?"

"Yup."

Evelyn replied as she made her way over; her dark chocolate locks fell in romantic curls to her chest and she wore a black halter top with navy blue jeans and black heels.

"Oh, you're early Agent Hotchner!"

Evelyn exclaimed as she opened the door to reveal Hotch on the other side; there was a boy with brown hair and eyes beside his legs, he looked up at her with a shy smile before hiding behind his father's leg.

"You must be Mr. Jack."

Evelyn stated as she placed her hands on her knees and crouched down to his level; Jack nodded slowly and Evelyn held back a squeal at his adorableness.

"I'm Evelyn, it's nice to meet you." Jack looked up at her again and smiled, showing the Hotchner dimples.

"Nice to meet you Miss Evelyn."

"Eve, who's…?"

Emily trailed off as she walked out of the kitchen with Cassandra in her arms, stopping when she saw her boss and his son and flushed; her black locks were yanked back in a loose curly bun, a few strands falling from it, and wore a white long sleeve shirt with a brown belt, faded jeans and brown high-heeled boots.

"I wasn't expecting you for another hour…" Hotch coughed, his face turning slightly pink.

"I know, but I thought you might need some help."

Cassandra frowned as she hid her face in her mother's neck, peering at the man she remembered from the previous night with a suspicious look; Hotch felt the girl's gaze on him and gave her a faint smile, it didn't surprise him that she was terrified of men, especially him, (he knew he could pretty intimidating) considering what he read in her file.

"Hey there Cassandra, do you remember me?" He asked in a soft tone as Cassandra cocked her head to the side.

"I fink so, you hurt the mean man right?"

Hotch winced, knowing she was referring to when he took down Michael Bann; it had been after they discovered where the Banns kept Cassandra, who was terrified of everyone except Emily and looked so beaten and dirty that he had let his anger get the better of him, tackled the man to the ground and began punching him; Michael Bann was knocked unconscious before Rossi was able to yank him off.

"Fank you…"

Cassandra spoke so softly that Hotch almost didn't hear her, his mouth twitched in amusement; she was so timid, though he didn't blame her.

"Baby, would you like to meet Hotch's son?"

Emily asked as she noticed Cassandra glancing at the boy; the little girl whispered in her mother's ear and Emily smiled, slowly lowering her to the ground.

"I'm Cassandra, who is you?" Cassandra asked as Jack looked at her; he grinned, showing his inherited dimples.

"I Jack, this my daddy."

Jack said proudly; Cassandra frowned, her eyebrows furrowing.

"This _my_ mommy!"

She exclaimed as she yanked on Emily's pant leg; Hotch gave Emily an amused look, causing her to blush and Evelyn to smirk.

"Mr. Jack, do you like Toy Story?"

Jack's eyes widened at Emily's question, he nodded his head rapidly.

"Uh huh, it's m'favorite!"

Emily laughed, a soft smile appearing on her face as she glanced into the living room; the couch was black leather with a white fur blanket draped over the back and white pillows on either end, a white carpet covering the wooden floor, a matching armchair on either side and a large plasma screen with a cabinet facing a glass coffee table.

"Would you like to watch it with Cassandra while I finish getting dinner ready? We're having spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread."

"Yum, I love sketti!" Jack said as he quickly ran into the living room, after discarding his shoes, with Cassandra trailing slowly behind him; Evelyn walked over to get the kids settled while Emily turned back to the stove.

"I never knew you could cook." Hotch commented, watching his subordinate move around her kitchen; Emily looked over her shoulder.

"You never asked; my mother made sure Evelyn and I knew the culinary arts since, according to her, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach but unfortunately Evelyn turned out to be deadly in the kitchen." Hotch raised an eyebrow in question as Emily turned back to her cooking.

"She's caused a small fire at least twice and has even poisoned us accidently."

"She's exaggerating; I've only ever burnt my food and I didn't poison them, I just gave them…upset stomachs."

Evelyn stated as she came up beside Hotch, her lips forming a pout as she crossed her arms.

"Mother still yelled at you for days because you caused the Chinese ambassador to pass out _and _vomit." Evelyn's cheeks heated as Emily smirked.

"Well, at least _I _didn't kick an Arabian prince in his you-know-where." Emily flushed.

"Like you didn't do the same to that one guy from the Soviet Union!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

Hotch watched in amusement as the sisters bickered back and forth; they reminded him of how he acted with Sean at times, they cared for each other yet still argued on a daily basis.

His gaze eventually wandered to the island where the mail was lying, frowning when he saw an envelope similar to the one he had gotten a year ago; he softened as he recalled the reason for Evelyn moving in, she was divorcing her husband of who knows how long and was, essentially, broke because of it.

He felt a small surge of rage, wondering why the hell the younger Prentiss wasn't entitled to her husband's money; he pushed it aside as it was obviously an issue that he had no business knowing about and looked up as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." He said as he opened the door to reveal Rossi on the other side; he raised an eyebrow when he saw Henry in JJ's arms, with no Will in sight, but didn't comment as he stepped aside to let them in.

A few minutes later the rest of the BAU family had arrived and eaten dinner, the females had retreated to the kitchen to assist with washing dishes while the males, and the two kids, were seated in the living room.

"So, mind telling me why you and Rossi arrived together JJ?" Garcia asked with a smirk on her face; JJ glared, her cheeks heated.

"It's not like that, it's…" She trailed off, sighing.

"Will left."

Emily and Garcia's eyes widened in shock, Evelyn gave her a sympathetic smile; Garcia stuttered.

"W-When…?"

"A week ago; I came home from that case, headed to our bedroom and found him with his arms around a redhead." Emily gasped.

"Oh JJ…!" JJ chuckled bitterly, blinking back tears so Hotch and Morgan wouldn't see.

"Her name was Lisa Hoyle, she worked with him at the police station; they started hanging out when I went out of town and things apparently escalated from there, he still gets to see Henry but he moved back to New Orleans with her."

"Honey, I'm so sorry; if you want, I can ask my dad to send someone after him."

JJ laughed as she smiled at Emily; the offer was tempting, but from what she knew about Emily and Evelyn's father he worked a classified job so who knew what he'd do to Will?

"Thanks Em, but it's fine."

Emily smiled as she took a sip of her wine, keeping a careful eye on her daughter; Cassandra was talking animatedly with Jack, waving her hands as the men watched in amusement.

"She seems to have taken well to Jack."

Reid commented as he watched the two children conversing; Hotch nodded, his mouth twitching as he looked over at Rossi, who was holding Henry in his arms.

"So Rossi, mind explaining not only _why _you arrived with JJ but you seem so comfortable with Henry?"

Morgan asked with a grin as he looked at the Italian profiler; Rossi rolled his eyes.

"It's not like that, I've just been helping with Henry." Reid frowned.

"Why would JJ need help with Henry if she has Will…"

Morgan and Hotch looked sharply at Rossi as realization entered Reid's voice; Hotch's eyes narrowed as he spoke in a low voice, a tone leaving no room for no answers.

"Dave, did Will leave?" Rossi sighed at the question, he worked with profilers who knew how to dig secrets out so he should've expected this.

"Yes, but I'm not giving any more details as it's JJ's business."

Rossi had found out two days after Will left, he had been furious and determined to go after him but relented at JJ's insistence; after that he began helping her with Henry and the two formed a friendship.

"Well, as much as I loved seeing you guys it's time for Miss Cassie to get ready for bed."

Cassandra pouted as she looked up at her mother and began to protest; her yawn, however, only furthered her mother's suspicions so the makeshift family began to file out until only the Hotchner men remained, watching as Emily hoisted her sleepy daughter into her arms.

"Evelyn, I'm going to start the bath for Cassie; are you heading to bed?" Evelyn shook her head, sighing as her eyes fell on the unopened folder.

"Nope, I have papers that need signing."

Emily gave her a sympathetic look as she carried her daughter up the stairs; Evelyn looked over her shoulder to see Hotch with a sleeping Jack in his arms, she smiled softly and waved goodbye as the two left the apartment before turning to the papers that would end her marriage of seventeen years.

_Better now than later…_

Evelyn thought as she walked over to the island, sighing as she began to open the folder after grabbing a pen.

* * *

Emily peeked into the living room after having put Cassandra to bed; her eyes softened when she saw her sister, now wearing her hair in a loose ponytail and dressed in a grey hoodie with black sweatpants, curled up on the sofa with a wine glass in her hand as she stared at her wedding and engagement ring resting on the coffee table.

"Hey…"

Evelyn blinked as she looked up to see Emily sitting beside her; she gave her sister a weak smile, taking a sip of her wine and laying her head on Emily's shoulder.

"I gave seventeen _years_ of my life for that man; I dropped out of school for him and I wanted kids but gave that up as well just so he wouldn't have to deal with being a father, yet still he chose to sleep with other women who looked nothing like me and gambled like it was nothing!"

Emily's eyes burned as she listened to her sister's rant; why were she and Evelyn cursed in love, why were they doomed to fall for men who would hurt them?

"Think about it this way Eve, at least you get to show the men of Quantico what they've been missing."

Evelyn snorted before bursting into laughter, giggling into her sister's neck; Emily began laughing as well, joining her sister in a laughing fit just as they did when they were teenagers.

"Oh god…I missed that…"

Evelyn mused in a sad tone after she stopped laughing; Emily huffed in anger, after Evelyn had gotten married her husband had barely let her see her family, keeping her in their Las Vegas mansion while he acted like a bachelor and lied to her without any remorse.

"So Em, when will you and Agent Hotch do the dirty if you know what I mean…?" Emily stuttered, her cheeks flushed.

"N-Never!"

Evelyn giggled as she looked at her sister's embarrassed state; no matter how collected her sister was she always became flustered when Evelyn teased her about her love life which, if she was honest, was often very sucky.

"Oh come on Sis, look at that man! He's tall, dark and handsome with a gun, he's brooding and stoic yet affectionate with his son and who knows what kind of body that man is hiding underneath—" Emily cut off her sister, her cheeks turning redder by the minute.

"Thanks Eve, I _really _wanted to hear about how sexy you think my boss is." Evelyn grinned as her sister began walking towards the stairs.

"So you don't deny you find him handsome!" Emily grinned as she looked over her shoulder.

"Nice try Eve!"

* * *

_We get some sisterly interactions between Evelyn and Emily, Hotch and Jack becoming close to the Prentiss family starts in this chapter and we learn Will has left JJ and Henry which means Rossi gets to step up! _

_Quick note: I'm planning on introducing the next foster child that Emily takes in either chapter five or ten (depending on how this goes) so something to look forward to! Please review!_


End file.
